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Spam Filter Expert >> Block Email Spam >> Keep Your Email Address Private
Keep your email address private
Be careful about sharing your e-mail or instant message address:
- Only share your primary e-mail address with people you know. Avoid listing your e-mail address in Internet directories and job-posting Web sites. Don't even post it on your own Web site.
- If possible set up an e-mail address dedicated solely to Web transactions. One option is to use a free e-mail service to help keep your primary e-mail address private. When you get too much spam there, simply drop it and get a new one.
- Create an e-mail account that's tough to guess. As some spammers simply guess common usernames (i.e. bob@domain.com where domain.com is any domain they know off) Try a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters. Research shows that people with such names get less junk e-mail.
- Disguise your e-mail address when you post it to a newsgroup, chat room, bulletin board, or other public Web pag. for example, bob AT domain DOT com. This way, a person can interpret your address, but the automated programs that spammers use often cannot. Don't rely on this however as swapping AT for @ and DOT for . are very common and spammers may well have addapted their spiders to overcome them.
- Watch out for pre-checked boxes in merchants forms. When you buy things online, companies sometimes pre-select check boxes by which you indicate that it's fine to sell or give your e-mail address to responsible parties. Clear the check box if you don't want to be contacted.
Tip: When you sign up for Web - based services such as banking, shopping, or a newsletter, carefully read the privacy policy before revealing your e-mail address so you don't unwittingly agree to share confidential information.
The privacy policy should outline the terms and circumstances regarding if or how the site will share your information. If a Web site does not post a privacy statement, consider taking your business elsewhere.
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